Spray valve having syphon tube metering chamber



Oct. 14, 1958 L. T. WARD 2,856,103

SPRAY VALVE HAVING SYPHON TUBE METERING CHAMBER Filed July 51, 195e INVEN TOR. AW/eswc@- 7." f1/Qa BYQZME.,

United States Patent C SPRAY VALVE HAVllNG SYPHON TUBE METERING CHAMBERLawrence 'li'. Ward, Portland, Pa.

Application luly 31, 1956, Serial No. 601,293

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-394) This invention relates to metered spray valvesto dispense a deiinite amount of self-propellant liquids and moreparticularly to metered spray valves having a syphon tube functioningalso as a metering chamber.

It is an object of this invention to provide a metered spray valvewherein the syphon tube functions also as a metering chamber.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a spray valve fordispensing iluid uncontaminated with metal from contacting valve parts.

It is a further object to provide a metered spray valve having a minimumof metal parts coming in contact with the iluid being dispensed.

These and other objects will become apparent upon reading the followingdisclosure taken in conjunction with the drawing in which:

Fig. l is a detailed vertical section of the valve showing the manner ofinserting the syphon tube into the valve housing and showing further thevalve parts in closed position,

Fig. 2 is a View similar to that of Fig. l but showing the valve partsin open or spraying position,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section broken away in part, of a modified plungerand Fig. 4 is a vertical section broken away in part and showing amodied plunger closure head.

Referring to the drawing, the cylindrical valve of this invention has ascrew threaded housing 35 the threads 10 thereof being disposed on theexterior of the housing wall and adapted to engage a threaded apertureof the conventional pressure resistant container (not shown) used withselfpropellants such as Freon.

The cylindrical valve housing 35 is tubular and is provided with anenlarged tubular bore 11 which converges to a throat aperture 36 at thebase of the housing. This aperture E56 functions as a valve inconjunction with a co-acting plunger 19 or 19X having an apertureclosure head 37 having a conical guide 37X integral therewith.

The housing 35 is provided with a collar 12 which rests against theconventional spray container (not shown) when the valve is hermeticallyscrewthreaded in the aperture thereof. An upright cylindrical wall 13 ispro vided integral to the top of collar 12, said wall 13 being spun orbent over (Figs. l and 2) to captively retain a combined sealing gasketand valve seat 40.

A syphon tube 14 preferably of plastic or rubber is disposed in thehousing 35 and against chamber wall 11 and sealing gasket du. The syphontube 14 dips into the selfpropellant liquid of the container so that thesyphon tube 14 is normally completely filled with self-propellant liquidincluding the section of syphon tube 14 disposed with in the housing 35.

An integral plunger 19 having a top tubular section having a bore-hole15 therein is provided with an enlarged cylindrical middle sectioncollar 16 and a bottom solid plunger section terminating in a closurehead 37 having a terminal guide point'37X.

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The bore hole 15 of the top plunger section communicates adjacent itsbase with a lateral conduit 17 disposed suitably above the horizontaltop wall 16X of collar 16. The plunger 19 in normal or closed positioneiiects a gas tight seal between the rubber sealing ring 40 and the atcircular surface 16X of the top of the collar 16. Ring 40 also eiiectsat all times a hermetical gas-tight seal against the exterior wall ofthe top plunger section permitting lateral conduit 17 to pass below thering 40 when the plunger is suitably depressed. But normally the lateralconduit 17 (Fig. l) is disposed above ring 40 when the valve is innon-operative or closed position.

The plunger 19 in normal position (Fig. l) has its closure head 17Xdisposed loosely in aperture 36X of the syphon tube so that liquidcommunication is established between the metering chamber of the syphontube disposed interiorly of housing wall 11 and the remainder of thesyphon tube disposed below valve housing 35. The valve aperture 323K ofsyphon tube 14 is disposed adjacent to throat aperture 36 of the valvehousing and is formed by said aperture 3o upon forcing the plastic tube14 into housing 35 and thence against sealing ring 4d.

The plunger is actuated by a coil spring 32 placed around the topplunger stem (Figs. l and 2) and eX- teriorly of the valve housing 'thespring 32 being disposed upon the turned over wall, that is upon theapertured dome 39 and also against a ring washer 41 secured in asuitable groove in plunger 19. The spring normally urges the collar 16out of the metering chamber and against ring 40.

As shown in Fig. l, the diameter of the cylindrical plunger collar 16 issuitably less than the diameter of the metering chamber formed by theinner walls of the syphon tube adjacent wall 11 of valve housing 35,thereby permitting liquid or tiuid passage therebetween.

A tinger knob (not shown) having a bore-hole therethro-ugh and ofconventional plastic manufacture is press fitted upon the exposed topsteni of plunger 19 with the bore-hole 15 communicating with thebore-hole of the knob.

ln assembling the valve, the ring 40 is disposed upon the top plungerstem and against collar 16 and the unit is then placed in the housing 35with the guide point 37X disposed adjacent the aperture 3o. The uprightwall 39 is then spun or turned over to form the dome 39 thereby pressingthe ring 4@ in hermetical gas-tight relationship against the outsidewall of the top plunger stem. The resilient suitably round syphon tube14 is inserted into the housing 35 through aperture 36 until it isfirmly pressed against sealing ring dil. The coil spring is placed overthe top plunger stem and the washer 41 is ailixed to make the assembledmetering spray valve of this invention.

ln operating the valve aiixed to a container the depression of plunger19 causes hrst the closure head 37 to engage the interior plasticwall ofsyphon. tube 14 at the aperture wall oX in a gas-tight manner, and thensuitable further depression of the plunger 19 causes lateral conduit 17to pass below ring 451 to communicate with I the liquid present in thecut-off or metering chamber of the syphon tube adjacent the housing 11wall. The self-propellant then partially evaporates and expels itself asa spray up bore-hole 1S and out of the conventional finger knob disposedthereover. The gas-tight seal between sealing ring itl and the topplunger stern is maintained at all times even during the sliding of theplunger 19 through ring 40.

Upon release of finger pressure on the knob of the plunger 19, thespring 32 returns the plunger to its normal j position causing conduit17 to pass upwardly beyond ring 46 and collar 16 to effect a hermeticseating of collar shoulder 16X against the bottom wall of ring 40 (Fig.l)

and returns the closure head guide point 37 loosely in aperture 36Xthereby permitting the self-propellant liquid in the container to beforced into the metering chamber of housing 35.

To etect an improved valve closure seal between the closure head and thewall of aperture 36X the head 37 may be provided with suitable circulargroove in which a suitable sealing ring 33 is disposed. Plunger 19 ispreferably made of noncorrosive material such as suitable metal alloy oreven glass. The rubber ring 38 contact to plastic syphon tube 14 effectsan improved seal over the seal effected between a plastic tube 14 and ametal head 37.

A further modification of this invention is shown in Fig. 3. In thismodication the identical valve housing 35 and sealing ring 40 as well asthe syphon tube 14 are used. Only the plunger is changed. In thismodification of Fig. 3 an articulated plunger is used and consists oftwo plunger' sections, namely a top plunger section 19X having anintegral but cavitated collar 23 and a bottom plunger section 19Y havingan enlarged head 24 adapted to smoothly lit into the cavity of collar23. The plunger head 24 is movable in the cavity of collar 23 but ispermanently and captively held therein by peening over the metal byforming suitable peen prongs 44 at the mouth of the cavity. These prongs44 are disposed against the cylindrical surface of the plunger stem 19Yso that the head 24 can not be pulled out of its cavity in collar 23.

A coil spring 42 is disposed about the bottom plunger stem and againstclosure head 42 and also against the peen prongs 44 (Fig. 3),

In this modification (Fig. 3), in assembling the plunger the spring 42is disposed on the bottom plunger stem and then the head 24 thereof isinserted into the cavity of collar 23 whereupon the metal of collar 23is peened over forming peen prongs 44 to captively retain head 24 in thecavity of collar 23.

In operating the plunger of Fig. 3, the plunger exhibits a delayedaction effect. Thus the lowering of plunger top section 19X does notgrippingly cut oif the syphon tube 14 since the spring 42 is beingcompressed while head 37 is being inserted in aperture 36X thus causingthe head 24 of plunger bottom 19Y to move into the cavity of collar 23.After plunger head 24 has moved into the cavity of collar 23 its furthermovement is stopped by hitting the top wall of said cavity whereupon theplunger bottom 19Y and its closure head 37 is lirmly pushed intogas-tight relationship with syphon tube 14. This action permits anygases trapped in or associated with the Huid in the syphon tube toescape thereby preventing vapor lock. The lateral conduit 17 inconnection with its co-acting sealing ring 40 functions in its normalmanner as in the modifications of Figs. 1 and 2. In this modification(Fig. 3) the spring 42 is disposed in the metering chamber and therebycontacts the fluid being dispensed. The circular collar seat 23Xfunctions identically to collar seat 16X described above.

The plunger of this spray valve is substantially nontilting as it isheld rmly in place by sealing ring 40 at all times and in valve open(Fig. 2) the plunger stem 19 is non-tiltingly held at two widelyspaced-apart points by ring 40 and the wall of aperture 36X. The path oftravel of all of the fluid of the metering chamber is shown by arrows inFig, 2 when the top plunger stem 19 is fully depressed to its extremelimit.

Having read this disclosure, other lobvious variants will now becomeapparent to those skilled in the art, but all these variations andmodifications of the scientific principle taught above are deemed to bewithin the scope and the claims of this invention.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Serial Number 450,177,iiled Aug. 16, 1954, now Patent No. 2,788,925.

Furthermore while the housing of this invention has been illustrated ashaving screw threads or other means of securing the valve housing to thecontainer in lieu of screw threads may be used, for example, a clamp maybe used to screw the housing to a glass bottle as shown in said SerialNumber 450,177, tiled Aug. 16, 1954, now Patent No. 2,788,925.

I claim:

1. A metering spray valve for self-propellant liquids comprising atubular cylindrical valve housing having an enlarged diameter meteringchamber borehole converging into a restricted borehole aperture adjacentthe bottorn o the borehole, said housing having screw threaded means forsecuring to a high pressure resistant container and having further anannular integral retaining collar above said screw threaded means and inspace relationship to said borehole; a non-metal resilient syphon tubedisposed in said housing borehole lining the entire borehole andextending downwardly therefrom; a non-tilting integral plunger having atop section having a top borehole therein communicating with a lateralopening at the base of the borehole, an enlarged middle section integralwith the bottom of said top plunger Section and having a circular llattop wall and a bottom plunger section integral with said middle sectionand having a valve head at its extremity, said plunger having its bottomsection and middle section disposed normally in close spacedrelationship within the syphon tube located in the housing borehole; asealing ring disposed seizingly about said top plunger section andwithin said annular collar of said housing for effecting a hermeticalseal continuously with the plunger top section, said ring also extendingwithin the borehole for effecting an intermittent hermetical sealbetween the bottom of said sealing ring and the flat top wall of saidmiddle section, and spring means secured about said plunger for urgingsaid plunger continuously outwardly from said housing whereby inwardmovement of said plunger into said housing trst causes said valve headto close the restricted .tube portion within said housing andsubsequently causes the lateral opening of the plunger top section topass below said sealing ring to establish communication with the liquidwithin the syphon tube in the housing borehole thereby permitting theliquid contents ofthe housing borehole to be dispensed into and throughthe top plunger section.

2. The valve of claim 1 wherein the plunger is an articulated plungerhaving a separate bottom plunger section held captively and moveablywithin an enlarged cavity within said middle plunger section and saidarticulated plunger having turther a secondary coil spring disposedabout the bottom plunger section and between said plunger -middlesection and said valve head of said bottom plunger section, saidsecondary spring continuously urging said valve head and the bottomplunger section away from the plunger middle section.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,342,173 Joslin `lune 1, 1920 1,892,750 Rotheim Jan. 3, 1933 2,562,111Michel July 24, 1951 2,667,991 Boyer Feb. 2, 1954 2,721,010 MeshbergOct. 18, 1955 2,746,796 St. Germain May 22, 1956 2,747,775 Pritchard May29, 1956

